Tie plate



March 20, 1934. E. H. BELL 1,951,644

TIE PLATE Filed Jan. 15, 1932 T' 'l .J.

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Patented Mar. 20, 1934 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 11 Claims.

This invention relates to tie plates and more particularly to a tieplate of maximum strength and relatively light weight, so constructedthat the load carried by the plate will be uniformly i distributed fromend to end of the plate.

The plate of the present invention is an improvement on plates such asshown in my United States Letters Patent No. 1,669,441 issued May 15,1928. The plate shown and described in my 10. aforesaid patent isprovided with spaced apart,

initial tie bearing surfaces and recessed ends and median portion, theload being transmitted only tothe initial tie bearing surfaces betweensaid recessed portions during the seating period. An 1'51 importantobject of the present invention is to transmit the load uniformly fromend to end of the plate at all times, beginning with the time of initialseating of the plate on the tie.

In the drawing:'

Fig. 1 is a bottom plan view of a tie plate embodying my invention.

Fig. 2' is a longitudinal sectional view of same. -Fig. 3 is alongitudinal sectional View showing a slightly modified construction.

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary top plan view of the plate.

Referring now to that form of the invention which I have chosen toillustrate in the drawing, the plate is provided with a top rail bearingsurface 5 and a transversely extending rail abutting shoulder 6. Therail bearing surface 5 extends from the shoulder 6 toward the other endof the plate to a line indicated at 7. Between the shoulderfi and themargin 7 of the rail bearing surface 5, the top of the plate is providedwith two transversely extending grooves 8 and 9, which are spaced apartby a relatively narrow, transversely extending portion of the railbearing surface indicated at 5. The combined widths of the grooves 8 and9 are preferably equal to about one-half of the aggregate widths of therail bearing surfaces 5 and 5', between the shoulder 6 and margin 7thereof, and said grooves are preferably of the depth and contourindicated by 5 the dotted lines in Fig. 1 and by the sectional view,Fig.2.

In each of the grooves 8 and 9 are a plurality of parallel, arcuatesurfaces 10 extending transversely of the grooves and longitudinally ofthe I plate, said arcuate surfaces intersecting to form a plurality ofribs 11. The lowermost portions of the arcuate surfaces 10 form thebottomsof the grooves 8 and 9, and the ribs 11 are in a planeslightlybelow the rail bearing surfaces 5 and 5.

T While these ribs 11 may be in the same plane as said rail bearingsurfaces, if desired, such an arrangement would require slightly moremetal than does the construction shown, without add-f ing to theefficiency of the plate. The ends of the arcuate surfaces 10 curveupwardly and but, w'ardly as indicated at l2 to form an arch-likeconstruction between the ends of the groove stirfaces 10 and the railbearing surfaces5 and 5'. The effect of the construction described isto'largely compensate for the elimination of metal 619 from the top of theplate and to produce an unusually light and eiiicient tie plate.

The bottom of the plate consists of transversely extending tie bearingsurfaces 13, 13, located be neath the edges of the rail seat 5,longitudinally 7 0" extending ribs 14 and 15, surfaces 16 intermediatethe ribs 14, and surfaces 1'? intermediate the ribs 15.

The ribs 14 and 15 decrease in width from the center and ends of theplate toward the surfaces 1% 13, 13, and the points or lowermostsurfaces of the ribs 14 and 15 are in the same horizontal plane as thetie bearing surfaces 13, 13, and together constitute the initial tiebearing surfaces which support the plate, from end to end, on the'tie';

The surface 16 intermediate the ribs 14 streterably fiat from onelongitudinal margin of the plate to the other, midway between thesurfaces 13; that is, in that part of the bottom l6 indi cated at 18 inFig. 2. From the surface 18, the 8B" bottom 16 is inclined downwardlytoward thesur faces 13, 13, as indicated at19, 19, in Fig. 2. Thesurfaces 19 are thus flat transversely and inclined longitudinally. d

The surfaces 17, between the ribs 15, are flat It] transversely andinclined longitudinally, up Wardly from the surfaces 13 toward the plateends, as indicated at 20, and if desired, may be longitudinally fiat atthe ends 21.

The ribs 14 and 15 are of greatest depthat the" 96* center and ends ofthe plate, and decrease depth and merge into the body of the plate beneath the edges of the rail seat.

The blunt ribs 22 which depend from thesu'r faces 13, 13, are seated inthe tie promptly after 109 the plate has been subjected to loads, thefunction of the ribs 22 being to hold the plate against movementlongitudinally of the tiewhile seating is taking place. The actual tiebearing surfaces through which the load is transmitted to" the time arethe lower surfaces of the ribs 14 and 15 and the surfaces 13, 13.

Referring to the modified plate shown infFig.

3, the surfaces 23, 23, between the ribs 14, in cline downwardly fromthe center of the plate no toward the transverse ribs 24, and thesurfaces 25 between the ribs 15 incline upwardly from said ribs 24toward the ends of the plate. The surfaces 23 and 25 merge into the ribs24 by fillets 26, and these fillet surfaces and the lower surfaces ofribs 14 and 15 constitute the initial bearing surfaces and distributethe load from end to end of the plate.

The greatest strain on a tie plate is directly beneath the edges of therail seat. In the plates herein shown and described, the neededreinforcement under the edges of the rail seat is secured by incliningthe surfaces intermediate the longitudinal ribs toward that part of thebottom beneath the edges of the rail seat. The plate is thus supportedfrom end to end, on the tie, the thickness is substantially uniform(except for the difference accounted for by a canted top surface) butthe greatest weight is concentrated beneath the edges of the rail seat.The location and arrangement of the reinforced grooves in the uppersurface in combination with the described bottom construction producesthe advantages herein pointed out.

Changes may be made in details of construction without departing fromthe scope of my invention and I do not intend to be limited to the exactform shown and described, except as set forth in the appended claims.

I claim:-

1. A tie plate having on its top a rail bearing surface and a railabutting shoulder, and on its bottom a plurality of longitudinallyextending ribs terminating in one horizontal plane and separated betweentheir ends by transversely extending tie bearing surfaces in the sameplane as the lowermost portions of said ribs, said tie bearing surfacesbeing located beneath the edges of the rail seat, and bottom surfaces,located between the said longitudinal ribs, longitudinally inclinedupwardly from said tie bearing surfaces toward the median and endportions of the plate bottom.

2. A tie plate having on its top a rail bearing surface and a railabutting shoulder, and on its bottom a plurality of longitudinallyextending ribs separated between their ends by transversely extendingtie bearing surfaces in the same plane as the lowermost portions of saidribs, said tie bearing surfaces being located beneath the edges of therail seat, and bottom surfaces, located between the said longitudinalribs, longitudinally inclined upwardly from said tie bearing surfacestoward the median and end portions of the plate bottom, saidlongitudinally extending ribs being tapered in width, and widest at themiddle and ends of the plate.

3. A tie plate having on its top a rail bearing surface and a railabutting shoulder, and on its bottom a plurality of longitudinallyextending ribs separated between their enh by transversely extending tiebearing surfaces in the same plane as the lowermost portions of saidribs, said tie bearing surfaces being located beneath the edges of therail seat, and bottom surfaces, located between the said longitudinalribs, longitudinally inclined upwardly from said tie bearing surfacestoward the median and end portions of the plate bottom, saidlongitudinally extending ribs being tapered in width, and widest anddeepest at the middle and ends of the plate.

4. A tie plate having on its top a rail bearing surface and a railabutting shoulder, and on its bottom a plurality of longitudinallyemending ribs terminating in one horizontal plane and separated betweentheir ends by transversely extending tie bearing surfaces in the sameplane as the lowermost portions of said ribs, said tie bearing surfacesbeing located beneath the edges of the rail seat, and bottom surfaces,located between the said longitudinal ribs, longitudinally inclinedupwardly from said tie bearing surfaces toward the median and endportions of the plate bottom, and a plunt, transversely extending tieengaging rib depending from said tie bearing surfaces beneath the edgesof the rail seat.

5. A tie plate having on its top a rail bearing surface and a railabutting shoulder, and on its bottom a plurality of longitudinallyextending ribs terminating in one horizontal plane and separated betweentheir ends by transversely extending blunt ribs located beneath theedges of the rail seat, and bottom surfaces longitudinally inclinedupwardly from said blunt ribs toward the median and end portions of theplate bottom.

6. A tie plate having on its top a rail bearing surface and a railabutting shoulder, and on its bottom a plurality of longitudinallyextending ribs separated between their ends by transversely extendingblunt ribs located beneath the edges of the rail seat, and bottomsurfaces longitudinally inclined upwardly from said blunt ribs towardthe median and end portions of the plate bottom, said longitudinallyextending ribs being tapered in width, and widest at the middle and endsof the plate.

'7. A tie plate having on its top a rail bearing surface and a railabutting shoulder, and on its bottom a plurality of longitudinallyextending ribs terminating in one horizontal plane and separated betweentheir ends by transversely extending tie bearing surfaces in the sameplane as the lowermost portions of said ribs, said tie bearing surfacesbeing located beneath the edges of the rail seat, and bottom surfaces,located between the said longitudinal ribs, longitudinally inclinedupwardly from said tie bearing surfaces toward the median and endportions of the plate bottom, the top of the plate, inwardly of thetransverse rail abutting shoulder and opposite edge of the rail seat,being grooved transversely of the plate.

8. A tie plate having on its top a rail bearing surface and a railabutting shoulder, and on its bottom a plurality of longitudinallyextending ribs terminating in one horizontal plane and separated betweentheir ends by transversely extending tie bearing surfaces in the sameplane as the lowermost portions of said ribs, said tie bearing surfacesbeing located beneath the edges of the rail seat, and bottom surfaces,located between the said longitudinal ribs, longitudinally inclinedupwardly from said tie bearing surfaces toward the median and endportions of the plate bottom, the top of the plate, inwardly of thetransverse rail abutting shoulder and opposite edge of the rail seat,being grooved transversely of the plate and provided with arcuatesurfaces intersecting in ribs extending transversely of said grooves andlongitudinally of the plate.

9. A tie plate having on its top a rail bearing surface and a railabutting shoulder, and on its bottom a plurality of longitudinallyextending ribs separated between their ends by transversely extendingtie bearing surfaces in the same plane as the lowermost portions of saidribs, said tie bearing surfaces being located beneath the edges of therail seat, and bottom surfaces, located between the said longitudinalribs, longitudinally inolined upwardly from said tie bearing surfacestoward the median and end portions of the plate bottom, saidlongitudinally extending ribs being tapered in width, and widest at themiddle and ends of the plate, the top of the plate, inwardly of thetransverse rail abutting shoulder and opposite edge of the rail seat,being grooved transversely of the plate and provided with arcuatesurfaces intersecting in ribs extending transversely of said grooves andlongitudinally of the plate.

10. A tie plate having on its top a rail bearing surface and a railabutting shoulder, and on its bottom a plurality of longitudinallyextending ribs terminating in one horizontal plane and separated betweentheir ends by transversely extending tie bearing surfaces in the sameplane as the lowermost portions of said ribs, said tie bearing surfacesbeing located beneath the edges of the rail seat, and bottom surfaces,located between the said longitudinal ribs, longitudinally inclinedupwardly from said tie bearing surfaces toward the median and endportions of the plate bottom, and a blunt, transversely extending tieengaging rib depending from said tie bearing surfaces betending bluntribs located beneath the edges of the rail seat, and bottom surfaceslongitudinally inclined upwardly from said blunt ribs toward the medianand end portions of the plate bottom, the top of the plate, inwardly ofthe transverse rail abutting shoulder and opposite edge of the railseat, being grooved transversely of the plate and provided with arcuatesurfaces intersecting in ribs extending transversely of said grooves andlongitudinally of the plate.

EDWIN H. BELL.

